Julien
by Engor
Chapter 35
Master Subadar, the Grand Master of the Circle of Major Arts, entertained Julien in a large, well-lit room whose walls were lined with bookcases. He himself wasn't much to look at: he wasn't particularly tall, his dark hair was starting to show signs of grey, and overall he looked like a kindly uncle getting ready to spoil a favourite nephew. He wasn't exactly in his prime, but then neither did he look particularly old, which came as a bit of a surprise to Julien, who had been expecting an octogenarian greybeard.
Don't trust your eyes, said Xarax, who was curled around Julien's neck. Master Subadar is a great deal older than he looks. The practice of the Major Arts can sometimes prolong the practitioner's life. And he's also a great deal stronger than he looks. Xarax knows him well. His loyalty to the Emperor nearly cost him his life.
"What we call the Major Arts, My Lord,"' began Subadar, "fall into three categories. There are the Outer Arts, practised by a great many people, which rely on external materials and objects. Skilled artisans use them to impart special qualities to their produce. For example, a blacksmith might be able to give his blades a sharper and stronger edge, or a sweet-maker might be able to create some surprising..."
"Yes, I think I know what you mean," interrupted Julien, remembering his first taste of sweetsnow.
"Unfortunately," Subadar went on, "not everyone is able to use the Major Arts. You have to have a gift for it. It's rather like having what it takes to be a great musician, or a great mathematician. Anyway, next come the Inner Arts. With those it's not just a case of reciting formulae, mixing ingredients or drawing diagrams. You need rather to understand the laws that govern the fundamental operation of the universe itself. The klirks fall into this category..."
"You mean that the Guides are Masters of the Major Arts?"
"Only the ones who are able to find new pathways, and that is a fairly small number. The rest just have the necessary Gift that allows them to use existing klirks and to wipe the memory of the path from those whom they transport."
"So... that makes Aïn a really good Master Guide, then?"
"Some say that he's the greatest of all, now that Yol the Intrepid has gone."
Master Subadar sighed and looked away, but not before Julien had seen the pain in his eyes.
"Did you know Yol well?" he asked.
"He was... he was my chenn-da, my other self. Forgive me, My Lord, but I'd prefer not to talk about it."
Julien nodded.
"The third category," continued Subadar, "is the Secret Arts. Very few people can master them, not least because first you have to be able to master yourself fully. The Secret Arts enable you – up to a certain point – to interfere directly with the thoughts of others, both human and non-human; but above all they allow you to relate to creatures who have very little connection to our own world. Some of these creatures can prove to be extremely efficient protectors. However, this is one of the reasons why only the very greatest of Masters can use the Secret Arts: not all the entities you might contact are benevolent."
"Are you talking about... well, demons?"
"Some of the entities are certainly malevolent, it's true, and we need to be extremely careful to protect ourselves from them. Are they demons? Well, that would depend on where they come from and what they really are.
"And that brings me to a fourth category of Major Arts. This one involves practices based on pain and terror, and it is precisely those entities that you call demons who give the practitioners of this branch of the Art their power. Those found using them are outcast for ever. I need hardly add that Your Lordship pledged long ago never to use this Art.
"Now, if Your Lordship would please follow me..."
Master Subadar stood up and walked over to a corner of the room. There was a round grey metal plate set into the floor there, and Julien recognised it straight away.
"That's a klirk," he said.
"Yes, My Lord, and it will take us to somewhere I'd like you to visit."
"Can't you use it yourself?"
"No, My Lord. I can only use it with the help of a Guide – Aïn, usually. But we won't need him today. It's the same type of klirk as the flagstones in Palace Square, so if you would just like to step onto it..."
"I suppose we'd better hold hands, then," said Julien.
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